The lobby next to the U.S. House floor was mostly empty, except for Rep. Tom Graves, thumbing through emails as he sat on a bench.
“That guy,” said U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, a Coweta County Republican, gesturing toward his young colleague. “He’s a rising star.”
Graves looked up.
“Don’t rising stars fizzle out?” he said with a grin.
The 44-year-old Republican from Ranger is ending just his second full term in Congress, having arrived in a 2010 special election that gave him a leg up on that year’s Republican wave.
Graves put that dollop of seniority to use this week as he was named chairman of an appropriations subcommittee overseeing the legislative branch in the new Congress, a rapid rise to a position known as “cardinal.” The legislative branch’s spending is a fairly small, not at all sexy, section of the 12 annual spending bills — but holding fellow lawmakers’ purse strings can have some fringe benefits.
Appropriations itself has lost some luster, given a ban on earmarks, shrinking spending and increased control from leadership in recent years. But for a conservative who arrived in Washington on the promise of cutting spending, appropriations is a place where Graves can say he’s accomplishing his goal.
A news release announcing Graves’ appointment Thursday touted the House Appropriations Committee’s overall spending cuts since Graves joined at $165 billion.
Graves has cultivated credibility among the right wing of the Republican caucus — befitting his tea party background and conservative northwest Georgia district — but also GOP leaders. He is part of an informal group of about a dozen members weighing options on how to pass spending legislation before government funding expires Dec. 11 while also striking back at President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration.
Last year Graves was rallying conservatives to his plan to block funding for Obamacare in a bill to fund the government, which put him at odds with Speaker John Boehner — and eventually led to a partial government shutdown. Now he’s on the inside and ready with a Twitter-concise quip on Republicans’ plans.
The goal, Graves said, is “to keep the government open and shut the president down.”
Graves is now the state’s leader on appropriations, taking over for outgoing Rep. Jack Kingston, a Savannah Republican who controls the high-profile subcommittee on health care spending.
“Tom Graves is moving out in a very effective way in getting his arms around statewide appropriations needs,” said Bob Hurt, a Washington lobbyist and former aide to Sen. Sam Nunn, a Georgia Democrat. “He’s been traveling outside his district a good bit to look at different places and things.”
The home-state affinity was on display when Graves was asked about the Obama administration’s request for an extra $6 billion to fight Ebola.
“I’m very thankful for what Emory’s provided, the leadership they’ve provided, and they’ve shared with us the need for additional resources,” Graves said of the Atlanta hospital well outside his district.
“As to what that right amount is, that’s still being discussed.”
War, what is it good for?
Congress’ to-do list for the lame-duck session included a slew of issues, including a government spending bill, terrorism risk insurance, the Keystone XL pipeline and expiring tax breaks.
But there is no movement toward a vote to authorize America’s military campaign — can we call it a war yet? — against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Georgians in both parties have called for it, but there appears to be no desire from the leadership of either chamber for a bitter debate and an uncertain vote.
Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott of Atlanta said gridlock on Capitol Hill has allowed the executive branch to take over everything from war to immigration.
“They have ceded so much to this president,” Scott said. “They have ceded the fact they let us go over there in the Middle East and sent our troops, and we’re going to fight and destroy ISIS and all that. And yet, where’s Congress? We don’t have a congressional resolution. There was no effort to do that.”
Vote of the week
The U.S. Senate voted 58-42 on a bill to limit some National Security Agency programs, particularly its collection of telephone "metadata" — the raw call information. The bill failed because it fell short of the 60-vote threshold to prevent a filibuster.
No: U.S. Sens. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.; Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.
About the Author
